The current United States observance of Thanksgiving is tied not to a fixed date like the 30th, but to the calendar structure of the fourth Thursday of November. This specific rule is the result of a historical evolution, a political controversy, and a final legislative compromise. The date’s placement ensures a consistent holiday while preventing it from falling too late in the month, which was a point of contention for decades.
The Original Proclamation
The modern tradition of a national Thanksgiving date began during the Civil War, well over two centuries after the original harvest celebration in Plymouth. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln formalized the observance by proclaiming the last Thursday of November as a national Day of Thanksgiving and Praise. For the next 75 years, the last Thursday of November became the accepted time for the celebration across the country. The “last Thursday” rule meant the date could fluctuate between November 23rd and November 30th, depending on the year. This flexibility set the stage for later problems when economic factors became a consideration.
The ‘Franksgiving’ Controversy
The traditional “last Thursday” became a significant issue during the Great Depression, particularly in 1939 when November had five Thursdays. With the holiday falling on November 30th, retailers feared the shortened gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas would hurt their crucial holiday sales. Driven by the need to boost the struggling economy, President Franklin D. Roosevelt decided in August 1939 to move the holiday to the second-to-last Thursday of the month. Roosevelt’s move earned the holiday the derisive nickname “Franksgiving” and caused widespread confusion and political division.
Calendars for schools, colleges, and football schedules had already been printed, and the last-minute change created chaos. States were split on which date to observe; 22 states kept the traditional date, 23 followed the President’s new date, and a few states even celebrated both. Roosevelt repeated the change in 1940 and 1941, but the lack of a unified national holiday proved too disruptive.
Establishing the Legal Date
The confusion created by the two separate Thanksgiving dates spurred Congress to take action to permanently fix the holiday. In late 1941, Congress passed a joint resolution to resolve the matter and eliminate the need for an annual presidential proclamation. This resolution, signed into law as Public Law 77-379 in December 1941, officially designated Thanksgiving Day as an annual federal holiday to be observed on the fourth Thursday of November. This compromise date was designed to provide consistency while still satisfying the commercial desire for an earlier holiday. By choosing the fourth Thursday instead of the last, the holiday is prevented from falling on the 29th or 30th in the years when November has five Thursdays. This legislative action ensured the holiday would never again fall too late and permanently settled the date for all Americans.